Sorcières de Salem, Les (1957)

Director:

Raymond Rouleau

Writers:

Arthur Miller (play)
Jean-Paul Sartre (writer)

Release Date:

26 April 1957 (France)

Genre:

Drama | History

Plot:

Salem, 1692. Industrious farmer, John Proctor, has twice made love to 17-year-old Abigail, a youth he and his wife have taken in...

Plot Keywords:

1690s | Adultery | Superstition | Tony Award Source | 1600s

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Simone Signoret	...	Elisabeth Proctor
Yves Montand	...	John Proctor
Mylène Demongeot	...	Abigail Williams
Alfred Adam	...	Thomas Putnam
Pierre Larquey	...	Francis Nurse
Jean Debucourt	...	Reverend Paris
Jean Gaven	...	Peter Corey
Jeanne Fusier-Gir	...	Martha Corey
Françoise Lugagne	...	Jane Putnam
Coutan-Lambert	...	Rebecca Nurse
Aribert Grimmer	...	Gilles Corey (as A. Grimmer)
Pascale Petit	...	Mary Warren
Yves Brainville	...	Hale
Michel Piccoli	...	James Putnam
Alexandre Rignault	...	Willard

Also Known As:

Hexenjagd (East Germany)
The Crucible (USA)
The Witches of Salem

Runtime:

145 min

Country:

France | East Germany

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Films Borderie

Trivia:

The first film version of the play. It was made in East Berlin, and in the French language, because American studios were terrified of filming a play by a recently blacklisted author which implicitly criticized the Joseph McCarthy "witch hunts" for Communists.

Movie Connections:

Version of "Estudio 1: Las brujas de Salem" (1965)

Unjustly unknown

This great movie does not receive the recognition it deserves and unfortunately, does not yet have a dvd version in order to reach a greater audience. The performances by both Yves Montand and Simone Signoret are memorable and Sartre's screenplay adds a tone which is darker and deprived of hope to Arthur Miller's play. It explores the theme very well and I'd certainly have it my collection with Dreyer's "Day of Wrath", another masterpiece.